Slip hook

ABSTRACT

A slip hook has a body portion having a general plane. A hook portion comprises a hooked first arm having a free tip and a second arm extending from the first arm. An arcuately curved abutment face is provided on the second arm. Latch means is provided on the body portion and mounting means mounts the hook portion on the body portion for pivotal movement about a pivot axis between two positions in one of which the abutment face is located within the outline of the body portion and the first arm projects substantially normal to the general plane and in the other of which the abutment face and the curved arm both project beyond the general plane and are located in a common plane defining with the general plane an obtuse angle. Actuating means is provided for moving the latch means between two positions in one of which it displaces the hook portion to the first-mentioned position.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Hans-Georg Janssen Bremerhaven,Germany [21] Appl. No. 2,085 [22] Filed Jan. 12,1970 [45] Patented Oct.5, 1971 [73] Assignee Aktiengesellschatt Weser Bremen, Germany [32]Priority Jan. 18, 1969 [33] Germany [31] P1902 416.9

[54] SLIP HOOK 7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 294/83, 294/75, 294186.18, 294/88, 294/101 [51] Int. Cl B66c1/34 [50] Field of Search 294/75, 83, 84, 76, 86.18,88, 101

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,171,552 3/1965 Warrington294/88 X 3,341,244 9/1967 Johnson 294/75 Assistant ExaminerMerle F.Maffei Attorney-Michael S. Striker ABSTRACT: A slip hook has a bodyportion having a general plane. A hook portion comprises a hooked firstarm having a free tip and a second arm extending from the first arm. Anarcuately curved abutment face is provided on the second arm. Latchmeans is provided on the body portion and mounting means mounts the hookportion Ol'll the body portion for pivotal movement about a pivot axisbetween two positions in one of which the abutment face is locatedwithin the outline of the body portion and the first arm projectssubstantially normal to the general plane and in the other of which theabutment face and the curved arm both project beyond the general planeand are located in a common plane defining with the general plane anobtuse angle. Actuating means is provided for moving the latch meansbetween two positions in one of which it displaces the hook portion tothe first-mentioned position.

sur HOOK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesgenerally to slip hooks and more particularly to an improved slip hookconstruction.

Slip hooks are used, particularly in marine applications, where it isessential to provide for a rapid changeover between two operative modesof the hook, in which a rope, line or the like is respectively engagedby the hook or engageable thereby, and released by the hook or no longerengageable by the same. Such hooks are well known and the term slip hookclearly identifies to those skilled in the art the particular type ofhook with which the present invention is concerned.

Generally speaking, slip hooks comprise a body portion, a hook portionpivotably mounted on the body portion so that it can move between twopositions relative to the body portion in one of which it is in positionto engage and retain a rope, line or the like, hereafter for the sake ofsimplicity called a rope, and in the other of which it releases theonce-engaged rope or will not engage such a rope which it may encounter.A latch arrangement is provided for maintaining the hook portion inoperative position in which it is capable of engaging and retaining arope, and then actuating deviceusually a piston an cylinder unitactsupon the latch arrangement to disengage the same from the hook portionwhen it is desired that the latter be slipped, that is that it bepermitted to move to the position in which it releases an engaged ropeor will not engage a rope which it encounters. The problem with theseprior art devices is that once the hook portion has been released by thelatch arrangement, that is once it has been slipped, it must be manuallyreturned to operative position where it is then engaged again by thelatch arrangement and retained. This is of no particular consequence insome instances, including instances where the slip hook is relativelysmall and light in weight. However, many slip hooks are large and veryheavy and under these circumstances the return of the hook portionmanually to operating position is very difficult. In addition, in theknown constructions the hook portion even when slipped is still sopositioned with reference to the body portion that it engages a ropewhich it encounters, and that the rope must then slip off the tip of thehook portion rather than freely passing over the same. In this contextit must be remembered that slip hooks are frequently dragged throughwater in which ropes for similar lines may float, be strung or lie onthe bottom. Depending upon the requirements of a particular applicationit may be desirable that the slip hook either pass over such lines whichit encounters, without engaging them, or that it engage and retain them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the presentinvention to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved slip hook which is not possessed of these disadvantages.

An additional object of the invention is to provide such a slip hookwhich while possessed of great mechanical strength also provides forreturn of the hook portion from the slipped position to operatingposition by means of the actuating arrangement which acts upon thelatching arrangement.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide such a hook whereinthe hook portion is capable of moving to a slipped position in which itwill not engage a rope or analogous element which it encounters, even ifthe encounter takes place under a flat angle of the slip hook withreference to the rope or analogous element.

In pursuance of the above objects, and others which will become apparenthereafter, the novel construction comprises, briefly stated, a bodyportion having a general plane and a hook portion comprising a hookedfirst arm having a free tip and a second arm extending from the firstarm. An arcuately curved abutment face is provided on the second arm anda latch means is provided on the body portion. Mounting means mounts thehook portion on the body portion for pivotal movement about a pivot axisbetween a first position in which the abutment face is located withinthe outline of the body portion and the first arm projects substantiallynormal to the general plane, and a second position in which the abutmentface and the first arm both project beyond the general plane and arelocated in a common plane defining with the general plane an obtuseangle. Actuating means: on the body portion serves for moving the latchmeans between two positions in one of which it displaces the hookportion to its first position.

According to the invention it is advantageous if the latch means isprovided with a recess accommodating the abutment face when the hookportion is in its first position. Such a construction has its mechanicalstrength reinforced thereby, when the hook portion is in first position.It is further advantageous to provide an engagement projection or noseon the latch means, and to configurate this nose with a guide facecooperating with the abutment face, because this permits a more compactconstruction of the device and reduces the number of elements required.The actuating means may be a hydraulically operated piston and cylinderunit, but it may also be a pneumatically operated unit. It isparticularly advantageous if the unit is connected with. the bodyportion for pivotal movement about an axis paralleling the pivot axis ofthe hook portion and intersecting the piston and cylinder unitapproximately midpoint of its greatest length, that is with the midpointbeing measured when the piston is extended out of the cylinder to themaximum extent.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theinventive device in operative position; and

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device in FIG. I, but in slipped position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing indetail it will be seen that reference numeral 1 generally identifies themain body portion of the illustrated slip hook. In the illustratedembodiment the main body portion comprises two transversely spacedelements la which are connected by a plurality of transverse connectorslb. Only some of the transvense connectors 1b are shown but it will beappreciated that many will be provided, and that they will be located asnecessary to obtain the desired structural strength. This of course iswell known to those skilled in the art and does not in itself form apart of the present invention.

Mounted in the body portion 1 for pivotal movement about a shaft 5defining a pivot axis is a solid hook portion 2 having a first arm 2aprovided with a free tip 2c, and a second arm 2b which projects from thefirst arm 20. This is shown in FIG. 2.

Also mounted in the body portion 1 are a latching arrangement 3 which ispivotable about the pivot axis 6 and in the illustrated embodiment maycomprise two latching portions located respectively inwardly adjacent.the sections In and connected by suitable transverse connectors, and acylinder and piston unit 4 which is pivotably connected to the bodyportion 1 for pivoting movement about a pivot axis 7. The axis 5, 6 and7 all extend in at least substantial parallelism with one another.

The latching arrangement 3 is provided with a projection or nose 8facing towards the arm 2b and cooperating with a contact face 9 providedon the arm 2b (See FIG. I). Extending from the contact face 9 of the arm2b is an arcuately curved abutment face 10 which cooperates with acorresponding guide face lla on the latching arrangement 3. Referencenumeral l1 identifies a transverse connector which in the illustratedembodiment connects the two laterally or transversely spaced latchingportions of the arrangement with one another and also serves as areinforcement. It constitutes or is provided with the guide face 11acooperating with the abutment face on the arm 2b which, in the positionshown in FIG. 1, extends between the two transversely spaced portions ofthe arrangement 3 (compare the broken-line showing of the abutment face10 in FIG. 1) and thus serves in this position to reinforce andstabilize the construction.

In the position shown in FIG. 1 the hook portion 2 is capable ofengaging a rope or similar element which it contacts, assuming that achain or the like is connected to the transverse connector of the bodyportion 1 which also defines the pivot axis B about which the entirehook can move with reference to the chain, and further assuming that thehook is then dragged and encounters a rope or analogous elementextending in the plane A, that is normal to the plane of the drawing.

When the hook is to be slipped," that is when it is not intended toengage and retain such a rope or analogous element, the cylinder andpiston unit 4 is operated so as to retract the piston, shortening thelength of the unit and moving the latching arrangement 3 from theposition of FIG. 1 to that shown in FIG. 2. Encounter of a rope oranalogous element will now displace the hook portion 2 from the positionof FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 2, and of course the same will occur if at thetime the latch arrangement is moved to the position of FIG. 2 a rope isalready engaged by the hook portion 2. In this position the tip 2c andthe abutment face 10 are located in a common plane defining an obtuseangle with the general plane GP of the body portion 1, that is thegeneral plane of the edge faces which in FIGS. 1 and 2 are directedupwardly. Note should be taken of how the plane A intersects the tip 2cand the abutment as well as defining an angle with the pivot axis B ofthe body portion 1.

If it is subsequently desired to return the hook portion 2 to theposition shown in FIG. 1, that is the operative position, the cylinderand piston unit is operated so that the piston becomes extended out ofthe cylinder to the position shown in FIG. 1, thereby displacing thelatching arrangement 3 to the position of FIG. 1 and, as it slides alongthe abutment face 10 and onto the contact face 9, displacing the hookportion 2 from the position of FIG. 2 to that of FIG. 1. Manualoperation is no longer necessary.

It will be appreciated that the construction is suitable wherever a needexists for a slip hook, and that it is entirely independent of theparticular use to which the hook is put.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in aslip hook, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, sincevarious modifications and structural changes may be made withoutdeparting in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A slip hook, comprising a body portion having a general plane; a hookportion comprising a hooked first arm having a free tip and a second armextending from said first arm; an arcuately curved abutment face on saidsecond arm; latch means on said body portion; mounting means mountingsaid hook portion on said body portion for pivotal movement about apivot axis between a first position in which said abutment face islocated within the outline of said body portion and said first armprojects substantially normal to said general plane, and a secondposition in which said abutment face and said first arm both projectbeyond said general plane and are located in a common plane definingwith said general plane an obtuse angle; and actuating means mounted onsaid body portion and engaging said latch means for moving said latchmeans between two positions in one of which said actuating means forcessaid latch means to necessarily displace and hold said hook portion insaid first position.

2. A hook as defined in claim 1, wherein said actuating means is ahydraulic cylinder-and-piston unit.

3. A hook as defined in claim 1, wherein said abutment face extendssubstantially normal to said general plane when said hook portion is insaid first position thereof.

4. A hook as defined in claim 1, said latch means comprising a recess;and wherein said abutment face extends into said recess when said hookportion is in said first position thereof.

5. A hook as defined in claim 1, said latch means comprising a guideface positioned and configurated so as to slidingly engage said abutmentface during movement of said hook portion between said positionsthereof.

6. A hook as defined in claim 5, said latch means being pivotable andhaving a nose provided with said guide face; and wherein said actuatingmeans comprises a cylinder-and-piston unit connected with said latchmeans in the region of said nose.

7. A hook as defined in claim 2, said unit being extendable between aminimum retracted length and a maximum extended length, and beingmounted to said body portion for pivotal movement about an axisintersecting said unit substantially midway of said maximum extendedlength.

1. A slip hook, comprising a body portion having a general plane; a hookportion comprising a hooked first arm having a free tip and a second armextending from said first arm; an arcuately curved abutment face on saidsecond arm; latch means on said body portion; mounting means mountingsaid hook portion on said body portion for pivotal movement about apivot axis between a first position in which said abutment face islocated within the outline of said body portion and said first armprojects substantially normal to said general plane, and a secondposition in which said abutment face and said first arm both projectbeyond said general plane and are located in a common plane definingwith said general plane an obtuse angle; and actuating means mounted onsaid body portion and engaging said latch means for moving said latchmeans between two positions in one of which said actuating means forcessaid latch means to necessarily displace and hold said hook portion insaid first position.
 2. A hook as defined in claim 1, wherein saidactuating means is a hydraulic cylinder-and-piston unit.
 3. A hook asdefined in claim 1, wherein said abutment face extends substantiallynormal to said general plane when said hook portion is in said firstposition thereof.
 4. A hook as defined in claim 1, said latch meanscomprising a recess; and wherein said abutment face extends into saidrecess when said hook portion is in said first position thereof.
 5. Ahook as defined in claim 1, said latch means comprising a guide facepositioned and configurated so as to slidingly engage said abutment faceduring movement of said hook portion between said positions thereof. 6.A hook as defined in claim 5, said latch means being pivotable andhaving a nose provided with said guide face; and wherein said actuatingmeans comprises a cylinder-and-piston unit connected with said latchmeans in the region of said nose.
 7. A hook as defined in claim 2, saidunit being extendable between a minimum retracted length and a maximumextended length, and being mounted to said body portion for pivotalmovement about an axis intersecting said unit substantially midway ofsaid maximum extended length.